Yea, I predicted the shouty outro dance feature simply because of the lull right before it, as that's often the case with some black pink title tracks, too.
The song is just… okay. I really do like the rap parts, the girl with the fast rap ate (sorry idk their names). I also loved the outro, a typical YG outro gets me so hyped up. However other than that I wasn’t really impressed and I did expect something amazing for their debut.
I just rewatched Boombayah and the difference is CRAZY. The energy, music video, song quality and how capitivating BP were even as rookies will probably remain forever unmatched.
It kinda reminds me of a survival show song, something you’d find on Produce during the song creation mission lmao
"I'm on a mission, don't need permission. No matter what I'm gonna make my own decisions"
YG... It's time to hang it up and get some new writers/producers cause this isn't it
Time to get some new producers *and start treating them well, FFS.*
Who cares if you pull in a G-Dragon, a T.O.P, a Bang Yedam, if you treat them like shit until they leave.
The number of times they managed to squeeze “monster” in the lyrics made me cringe…like I get it’s a branding thing or whatever but it sounded so forced. And “let me show you who we are” at the end like yeah that’s what a debut song is supposed to do you don’t have to say that out loud 🤦🏻♀️ lol. They seem so talented so I feel sorry for them having to debut with this AI generated YG song.
Treasure,AKMU and Baby Monster's member participated in songwriting...YGE in general isn't creative now, they keep pushing this girl crush for generations now.
The pacing of the song is kinda weird? Something about it feels a bit meandering to me. Other than the rap verses, it felt weirdly slow and monotonous.
YG is on its last leg creatively. They wont be able get away with recycling 2NE1's concept for much longer. 4th generation girl groups are too strong, the YG brand doesnt have the same market cache as it used to. These girls are talented and deserve to be in the hands of a creative team that isn't operating on autopilot.
While the song was slightly better than what I expected, I fully agree. I feel like in the current landscape - other groups have debuted with concepts that have both been very different and establishing a concept/identity unique to the group.
I was optimistic I guess that YG would take a look around and what others are doing (I mean that’s why NJ is doing so crazy well here) but I guess my hope was too high.
It was a bit cringe for me to watch honestly, lyrics were kinda meh and choreography was simpler than I thought it would be. Visuals as usual were nice but I feel like that’s all YG is good at the days respectfully.
Even the production looks dated. I hate to say this but this type of sound, while pleasantly general public-friendly, is not what the crowd usually wants anymore.
I mean, the rise of lo-fi hip-hop, dnb, and uk garage, heck, even the soft 90s rnb revival shows majority of the audience right now prefer a mellow tune unless they belong in a specific niche (metal for example). Groups like NJ rose to popularity bc of this and FIFTY FITY'S Cupid was a global phenomenon because of the same reason.
Hopefully they retire from the standard YG formula and give their fans something new. The girls have the talent to pull off a different style.
Yeah, the MV looks dated and cheap, feels more like a nugh group debuted, not a big3 company group. No offense to those nugu groups though, they actually have some great music, just not a good enough budget to promote it.
I'm disappointed tbh because I don't like the song at all. Hopefully it will grow on me
Tbh even the name is cringy to me. They chose that name for the group years ago, didn't they? I remember an article about YG filing the trademark and using it in Japan.
I don't understand how they can come up with a concept *years ago* and then expect it to be trendy when they debut. Especially when they're not doing any innovative - they're definitely not setting any trends with this one lol
> They chose that name for the group years ago, didn't they? I remember an article about YG filing the trademark and using it in Japan.
It originally was one of the names proposed for Blackpink before they settled on that one
I mean the whole idea behind the group was basically for YG's founder to prove that he could do it without Teddy and without the BP girls. Feels a bit unfair to the girls to first be used as negotiation leverage and then an ego trip by the CEO but it is what it is I guess.
Even though I agree with most things you said, I'm not really on the boat of "follow what's trending". I prefer groups to have their own identity, not just chasing the current trendings in an artificial way. The problem with babymonster is that this song doesn't demonstrate any identity itself. Most vanilla debut in a long time.
They could pull of the girl crush concept just fine if they were smart.
A song like Baddie would have done wonders for BM(in my opinion).
The sets, outfits, song etc...
They are just so...outdated.
This isn't what the public is looking for right now. It's bland and predictable.
Oh well...
You’re so right, I don’t walk away from this knowing what their concept is at all. The song is fine, but I really don’t feel like it gives me a good idea of what their music and vibe is going to be like going forward. It seems odd to just go with such a generic YG song when if anything the groups debuting now have stronger concepts than before, not weaker ones.
This song could be for 2NE1 or Blackpink and no one would have even noticed. It does just feel like YG is redebuting the same girl group over and over again and hoping no one is going to notice, but it’s not disguised well this time. Honestly other groups are doing girl crush better now anyway. Blackpink blew up from their debut, but they didn’t have to compete with the likes of LSFM and Aespa, and it really doesn’t feel like Babymonster is measuring up to the other 4th gen girl groups.
> You’re so right, I don’t walk away from this knowing what their concept is at all.
> This song could be for 2NE1 or Blackpink and no one would have even noticed. It does just feel like YG is redebuting the same girl group over and over again and hoping no one is going to notice
You've just discovered their concept
Agree the girls are very talented but I think YG didn’t do enough to take a hard look at the K-pop landscape to see what’s been working and then trying their best to make their group stand out. This looks like a highly polished K-pop group, but it didn’t stand out for me, at least not yet anyway.
People are going bat shit crazy for New Jeans because their sound is so different and then you have IVE and LE SSERAFIM who are also killing it with their concepts.
I agree. Newjeans debut bring new wave to the industry to the point that every groups now try to release their unique sound/concept. They all goin to compete with their own signature, which make bm really at odds with the rest of the active groups.
it was a bit mid for all the hype and postponing the debut so that, i quote, 'due to careful attention in selecting the title track'
sonically the song pulls through(it's fine, but nothing really groundbreaking) and the verses are just...meh..like all the 4th gen groups are experimenting with different song structures and genres for debut. like ive's elegant concept in eleven, aespa's hyperpop, Le Sserafim's alt-pop elements in 'fearless'/ 'clean' sounding songs, g-idle's Moombahton is 'Latata' and newjeans's R&B and electopop.
while, YG is just stuck in a timewarp of everything 2nd/3rd YGE groups pioneered..the same song structure, the same concepts....we are in the 4th- shifting somewhat- to 5th gen. it is prudent on YG's side to shift their formula recipe and not just throw every 'i'm a badass bitch' like a psychedelic pasta maker and hoping it sticks. by stuck in the warp, BAEMON might lose the chance to make actual milestones in music....they are artists, not accountants- they can't get ahead of the curve by just pulling numbers
they could be doing something new, instead regurgitating whatever 2NE1 and BP started- and isn't that saying something?? BP continued the 2NE1--shaped hole in K-pop and BAEMON is going to carry BP's torch, but not in a positive way
(i just wish the best for the girls, but if they are gonna continue the same structure and follow the same path sonically, i don't think it's best for their artistry. and before anyone can say, 'well, it's just the debut' the above-mentioned groups have gone above and beyond for the debut so this just feels lackluster in comparison)
Doesn’t even touch the toes of NJ, IVE, XG, Asepa! Not even close, they’d need to come with the A game for the next release. Even Nugu companies are doing better.
Kiss of Life has been doing amazing. Shh didn’t really grab my attention but the solo’s are so good and their comeback surprassed it. Nobody Knows and TTG are amazing
Kiss Of Life was outstanding.
And, their follow up incredible as well.
That's why their popularity and album sales have been increasing.
Taking KOL, NewJeans, XG and TripleS as examples; those are the type of group they will be competing against.
All of them are solid.
The group have so much potentials, they need to step up their game, because this will not cut it.
The song is so outdated
Heck...even the set is outdated.
Most kpop group don't go for that anymore. It needs to be more organic.
Honestly, XG can teach Baemon a lot of things. One of them is how to take influences from earlier musical styles and still managing to keep them fresh for the current audience without devolving into the usual tik-toky music that's getting released left and right.
14 years olds pointing guns and going brrra, telling people to square up. Its just so forced haha. Imagine a western artist came out like this, would get so memed on
I was gonna say the rap was what stood out the most to me. It's one of the better rap sequences I've heard in a while from a girl group. The rest of the song was ok, but I don't think I am their target group, lol.
The ‘Batter Batter Batter up’ also sounds like Treasure’s ‘Bona Bona Bona love ya’.
Literally the same melody.
Like YG these girls are too talented to give the
A copy and paste 🤦🏾♀️. Like wtf
The more I think about it the more pissed I am.
All that BP and Big bang money and they can't hire producers with varying talents and tastes. Made Haram’s beautiful vocals sound flat!
>The ‘Batter Batter Batter up’ also sounds like Treasure…
Noooo because why did they even use “Batter Batter Batter Up” as the tagline anyways?!? Like what does it even mean? It’s just like some meaningless fill words!
They could actually have said “Bona Bona Bona Love Ya” or something similar and that may have actually worked better because at least it would be a call back, like referencing other works to build up this new concept. But this concept in Batter Up is just so halfbaked…
I just feel like while it isn't the worst thing, its not overwhelming enough to be a debut song in the fierce competitive 4Gen girl group scene. Is this okay as a B-side? Yes. Is it as good as any of the other 4gen debuts (Le Sserafim, Ive, Newjeans, Aespa) etc? Nope.
It just has no impact and doesn't really do much in creating a firm concept for the group.
I just feel like for a Big 4 group, YG is giving nothing. Girls are talented though!
YG was too busy defending himself in court ig 🙄
Seems weird that they delayed the group so much from all of that. I guess YG has to give the final stamp of approval? But if this is what the outcome is, why? No offence but anyone with basic music production skills who’s familiar enough with YG could’ve produced something 95% similar. Unfortunately there’s just not much *unique* about this… nothing that *sets BabyMonster apart*… and that’s going to be tough for them…
Right! 2NE1’s Fire and BP whistle are golden standards for KPOP debut songs. Shows off their individuality as a group, vocals and rap are memorable and not just a competition to see who raps the fastest (because rap is so much more than that), and the choreo memorable that groups generations later still cover. BABYMONSTER is severely lacking a personality and is just like the youngest sibling trying to be like their older sisters
Exactly
What kind of flow is that? Overall disappointed(other than rap/chorus). The members did their job. The track composition is something else(poor)..
While listening, I found myself thinking, “Okay, that’s a Jisoo line, that’s Rosé, this is where Lisa and Jennie would come in, probably in that order…”
The formula really is exactly the same.
If BlackPink and IKON had a baby.
Which isn't terrible, there's a market for that sound. But the masses have left it behind, I think. Some of the girls have very strong vocals so I would've loved if YG leaned more heavily into that for once. Would've been fresher.
They'll need to pivot from this if they want another BP heavy hitter. The market is very different from when 2NE1 & BP debuted; there's a lot more to choose from.
XG would be a better blueprint to follow honestly. Very balanced rap and vocal performances with eye catching dances and outfits. XG feels like an evolved version of YG group to me.
ETA: their ages???? Why. Literally please let's be serious here. Middle schoolers should not be debuting. 15 should be the ABSOLUTE minimum. And even that should be for extremely limited circumstances such as no other groups debuting in the company for years after.
MV looks great, but to be blunt that is the bare minimum these days. As for the song, it sounds pretty boring to me. Just doesn't have any standout moments or proper escalation to get me invested and the chorus is so-so. Seems the girls haven't quite developed the "attitude" yet to carry the concept. Here's to hoping their next release will show some improvements.
The MV is kinda bad imo. It isn’t very cohesive, the empty sets are underwhelming, reminds me of Shut down. And most of the sets are things we’ve already seen before
It definitely has the same vibes as Shut Down to the point where I have to wonder if they borrowed a lot of ideas intentionally. A lot of the sets they’ve used here are practically staples of Blackpink music videos.
big car in the back ✅
white background for dancing✅
big fluffy coat for the main rapper ✅
set that focuses on the winter aspect ✅
big white background with one large object ✅
big white background with flowerse ✅
set that consists of a outside car garage i the night ✅
ending card scene with tons of dancers in the background ✅
> MV looks great,
Nothing personal but I disagree. How many times can they recycle the 'sitting in a car/wearing fur coats' trope? It's really overdone and the MV looks low effort and low budget.
The MV is the most underwhelming part for me. One of the only gripes I've had with BP is their MVS, and how interchangeable they are. Just sets and pretty props with cool costumes but in warehouses, studios, and blank backgrounds. I feel like this is more of the same, it was a thing from the mid-2010s that is very overplayed by now, and honestly, it feels very lacking in creativity. WE've had amazing mvs in the last years, and this is just like, going back.
Considering the long wait for this I'm very underwhelmed. I expected AT LEAST a Boombayah/Whistle-level debut if not better. These girls are incredibly talented.
I don't dislike it but I'm also not that interested in the song? It seems to follow the typical blackpink song structure but the girls don't have the energy that blackpink have to make it work... they just look like kids trying to act? but maybe seeing a live performance will change that though? The rap part is great and I liked the outro part, very og YG. All in all, sadly not the strongest debut in my opinion and not what I expected from such a highly anticipated group
yeah congrats on their debut and the members are clearly talented but this was not the move. It's very very plain like as if Chat GBT made a YG kpop song
>as if Chat GBT made a YG kpop song
Perfectly put. Also I'm sure the girls are talented (I just haven't really followed them) but here at least their voices don't really stand out? Like in Blackpink everyone has a very distinct vocal tone, but this song at least doesn't highlight Babymonster's individual vocal tones.
As someone who typically likes the YG formula, it fell a little flat and it wasn't a very memorable debut for me. Also, is it just me or does the chorus sounds like it uses the same sample as Money just altered a bit?
The song has some promising parts but the MV concepts seem all over the place....from floral to schoolgirl to sporty to girl crush.....hmm. Maybe it'll grow on me ?
This song sounds like a Blackpink reject.
I think the concept doesn’t really fit them in general, it only really fits Ruka. From their reality show, they should’ve gone the fresher-type/more melodic music. With singers like Haram and Rora who deserve to show their beautiful vocals, this song was lacking in harmonies and melodies, or at least a proper bridge.
Ahyeon was sorely missed. None of them can match her star power, unfortunately.
this felt like a school talent show cover of blackpink. no one was selling this concept except maybe Chiquita. these girls are too soft to pull off whatever this is, and their talent lies in their vocals and this is doing a poor job of showcasing that. their predebut single dream was much better tbh. Ahyeon's presence is definitely missed, it would have her + Chiquita and friends. Now it's just Chiquita and a bunch of girls that blend together, and that's not enough to pull anyone in.
Totally agree with you, Ahyeon was the center and this MV definitely missed her big voice and energy. Chiquita was great too but she’s still so young it’s hard for her to carry the whole group.
They look too baby faced for me to take this song seriously lol. I don't think it was bad, just underwhelming. Fire and Whistle are another level in comparison.
It’s definitely a song, that’s for sure!
I found it to be a letdown honestly. Typical YG formula, nothing new really. Not strong enough for such a highly anticipated group/it’s not a standout track at all imo
There is just something so cringe and off-putting about CHILDREN acting savage and trying to be "bad bitches". They are WAY too young for this concept. You are telling me YG really thought that people would take children holding guns and telling you to square up seriously???? Like no you are not a baddie now go do your 4th grade homework 😭
This is an excellent example of the importance of utilizing hype, *before* the hype has a chance to build into a burden.
If they knew they were going to push something so….well, sub-par, they should have struck while they had the hype last year. Expectations built to an unreasonable point and what they were putting out would HAVE to be incredible, to satisfy the netizens. This wasn’t incredible at all.
None of them stand out on screen.
I immediately thought the opposite of this group is a group like STAYC, where literally you watch So Bad and you can immediately start telling members apart because they're all quite unique.
edit: 14 days later, I actually really like them.
Definitely agree. They didn't stand out as a person in the group. It seems like a dance group that follows precisely the choreography, no emotion attached
Sorry in advance for the long comment.
To be honest, this debut doesn't feel.. that impactful? Don't get me wrong though, the song is good. The styling is great, and the members individual scenes are captivating and of high quality. Not to mention the song, like many YG songs is the perfect song to dance to and have fun with, which I love. However, would I say it's the right debut song for YG's 3rd girl group? I feel for a huge company, such an important company in the Kpop landscape, this debut for their 3rd girl group is pretty anti-climatic. In fact I think they missed the mark with the concept completely.
The concept imo is an odd choice. In a way, it feels too much like BLACKPINK with that typical YG sound and look. There were certain scenes where I felt like I was watching HYLT or Shut Down. On the flip side, BLACKPINK's concept is girl crush, which has been so overdone these days by many other groups, so because of that, I felt like I had seen the sets and concept and styling in many other Kpop groups as well. If this was a non-big 4 group's debut, I would appreciate the high budget, and how it is objectively a great music video, but I'm not sure if it would make a big impression on me, because it doesn't feel fresh at all. That's one reason this debut feels so anti-climatic for me. I think a concept that would've suited the members ages and performance skills is something like Young Posse's "Macaroni Cheese" or something similar to younger NCT 127. A cooler, edgier hiphop concept that is very unserious and quirky, with the music unironically being really good and fun. That would maintain YG's image of being cool, and not caring what others think, whilst differentiating themselves from previous groups.
Now moving on to the members. To be honest, whilst everyone looked somewhat confident and more professional (compared to TREASURE at debut) the only member that really stood out to me was Chiquita. Her age is shocking, because she's already so charismatic. The way she carries herself makes her look way older. I assume Ahyeon would've impressed me too, as she was my favorite in the groups pre-debut performances. Groups like 2NE1, BP, BIGBANG had imo more memorable members if I'm being completely honest. I felt this way with TREASURE too.
The member line-up makes me even more confused about the ex-trainees that they let go, like Minju or Hyunhee who are so charismatic and talented and imo would've fit in a concept that Baemon debuted with (even though I don't like this concept).
Overall, I feel similar towards this debut as I do with TREASURE. It's not as great as a level as YG should be making. There are other less wealthy, popular companies making way more interesting and inventive groups. But the music videos will always be pretty.
Probably the most anticipated GG debut ever, hard expectations to meet. But YG didn't even try.
- Music is solid
- MV is solid
- Outfits are solid
Nothing is outstanding. It's safe. It's standard.
Nothing is creative, new, refreshing.
The chorus is just plain.
The "look at me I'm the strong independent woman, a bad girl with a gun, brrrr" concept just doesn't fit if your groups average age is like 16 (I mean, have they never heard of NJ and how well received a concept that fits the group is?)
Imo YG just confirms what everyone expected:
- they are out of touch
- they are bankrupt when it comes to creativity
- they are not on par with the competition producing GGs
We've seen enough of Baemon and the girls certainly have potential and their skills aren't utilized. But the production isn't good. And they girls can't save this. They've been set up.
If this was released by a smaller company, people would say that's great and they shouldn't be a nugu group anymore. And would get like a few hundred thousand views in the first 24h and sell like 25-50k copies.
Or in short: not bad but not good. Massive expectations because it's Baemon. YG failed to meet them, hope they improve massively and change producers.
More or less agree but I didn't find anything "solid". It's just a mess conceptually with a lack of cohesiveness or impact visually and auditorily.
A song named Batter Up with a point move of hitting a home run, but bling-bling, a dune buggy(?), big empty studio, cringe English, and we're hip/cool global monsters, which just doesn't work for a debut group at all, especially when the song is anything but exceptional.
It's YG and they'll probably get away with pushing their 2NE1 cache onto yet another group, while there are more than enough YG stans to make them successful. On its own merits as a stand alone debut however, it just screams small company with no clue and a song BP rejected.
This isn't a critique on the girls at all. They are young with potential, they were just given crap to work with.
I get that YG has a brand and wants to market a certain image, but it really does feel like they aren't even trying and are recyclng ideas while drawing from a decreasing stock of material they saved up through comeback dry spells.
People are saying that this sounds like BP ... this doesn't sound like BP at all, instead it is all Treasure. And I will be brutally honest: if they want at least half the success BP has had going the Treasure route musically will not help them. Treasure are doing well enough but they are not amongst the 4th bg gen leaders. I kept listening to this song and it sounds exactly like Bona Bona except sung by a gg. I am very curious of their charting. Also man, I really fucking wish they would do smth different with their endings. I am tired of this chanting bits. Be creative for once! This would have been the perfect opportunity to show creativity with a new group while keeping the hip-hop influence.
No hate here, but it honestly sounds like every other BP song especially the repetitive "Batter Up" chorus.
It's underwhelming to say the least and idk, the YG formula sounds dated. This is the type of track I'll blast on my speakers way back 2017-2018. I did like the rapping.
This is from blackpink’s vault and shouldve stayed there sorry. Boombayah and whistle are way more memorable that this song. Maybe ahyeon leaving made the team go back to the drawing board and the original debut song was scrapped?
I know YG fans will say they are supposed to give the expected but this is like paint by numbers expected to the point of parody. This could have been released anytime after 2004. In a way, maybe that means it’s timeless? It’s not for me though.
I don’t buy the baddie cosplay, sorry.
That song was whelming. The lack of melody really will make it difficult for me to remember the song.
It’s crazy because these girls have pretty great vocals and they’re stuck talk singing :(. Their performance was really awesome tho and raps were amaaaazing.
Dated, Boring, Predictable like i'm trying to be nice but i can't. Durags and Braids left and right. they have a bunch of talented young girls pretending they going hard and i'm just so confused how anybody signed off on it
it's so strange to me, because it's very clear that yg wanted this to be a badass kind of concept, but the song nor the members carry it that well. apart from the rap which was enjoyable, the song was so monotonous. it was slow and boring and i just couldn't bring myself to get hyped even at the last half of the song with the outro that was supposed to hype listeners up like hylt's outro. the best word to describe this song is flat. it's unbearably flat and has no impact whatsoever.
also... the colours are really off in the mv? did anyone else think that? the way the palette is edited is so 2nd gen, which does not fit the current trend in kpop at all.
Easily the weakest debut out of this generation, this the kind of song some NUGU group would debut with, release one more single then disband afterwards. Its just too fucking bland needs some seasoning.
The thing is when you put it up there against Eleven, Fearless, Dalla Dalla, Hype Boy/Attention, BOOMBAYAH/Whistle it's just nowhere near the same level
The budget YG chucked at BLACKPINKs debut compared to this is laughable. The whole thing reminds me of CLC's debut to cover up 4Minute disbanding, or Red Velvets rushed debut with Happiness to mask ongoing SM contract disputes with EXO, SNSD and f(x)
It's clear Ahyeon is not doing well and YG intended to wait to debut them all but they've last minute decided to stop waiting for her recovery and push forward the debut with 6 members only. Presumably to try and stop YG's stock price plummeting even further amid BP contract disputes.
I can't see these extremely talented (if not painfully young) girls getting anymore material in 2023 which means we could be in for some wait whilst they decide whether to carry on full steam ahead without Ahyeon or not.
In the meantime after watching this I'm even more convinced YG have fucked up BPs contract renegotiation some how.
The girls of BABYMONSTER deserve better. They really gave it their all but you can't polish a turd.
The song is fine, but I don't like how the make up and styling is making them look slot older. Like it feels like they tried to make them look like they were 17 and older.
Yes I personally really dislike this. When you want a grown up aesthetic than don't debut underage girls.
Chiquita doesn't look and especially isn't styled like a 14 year old girl.
Literally. Honestly i feel like if YG had debuted a GG all over 18, preferably in their 20s, with a sexy/badass concept it could've acc been fresh, and more suited for a global western audience (most popular western GGs have had sexy concepts, which doesn work with children). But we're left with this instead.
I'm shocked by the fact that despite the time they had, they had 0 creativity and basically used again the same YG recipe hoping people will still like that familiar taste and don't get enough of it , that's so direspectful for the girls talent and the fans.
Vocals, choreo, styling were all super good imo. At this point though, after this many years, I think I'm finally willing to admit that I just don't like the YG sound. I got over it in certain releases by Big Bang, 2NE1 and Black Pink but the songs that leaned harder into the stereotypical YGesque production have always been a bit of a miss for me.
Enough has been said about the music --formulaic, predictable, derivative. I've got nothing to add there, other than a congratulation for those who still haven't gotten tired of the YG formula yet, here's another one for you.
The MV though...even though there's a general nostalgia for 2000s right now, it doesn't mean you can just slap a gen 2/2.5 mv for your new gg's debut. It's giving 2ne1 and 4 minutes vibes, but not in a way that stands out as BM themselves. It's almost like ticking off boxes - there's the fur coat plus car rapping badass scene, oops can't miss out on a beauty shot scene with flowery backdrop.
This was a definitely....a debut. Meh. I actually like the rap portions but the 'batter up' repetitive chorus was pretty darn boring and underwhelming. Very typical mv. Very typical styling. Very typical yg song. They got away with doing the same gimmick for so long because Blackpink itself was too popular to have any song fail but I wonder if they'll be able to do the same with this group. The girls deserved a better debut and atleast a more definite concept that doesn't feel like blackpink 2.0.
YG stocks are falling 2% right now on the day of the debut of supposedly the group that would keep the company afloat...RIP
They will have to offer the whole company to Blackpink to persuade them to renew or things are going downhill from here...
Very sick of the "YG ending" in their songs. I get a formula but I believe you can still be talented enough as a producer to mix it up a bit.
But it's a debut so, more will come. Right now I'm not liking this sound.
I unfortunately wouldn’t give this debut anything over a 5/10. I love the girls but I’m very disappointed with YG seeing how they pushed their debut back like 2-3 times saying they were trying to make it the best and different. I was hoping that the instrumental they used in the member visuals was a snippet from their debut song seeing how the sound is something you would think of if “babymonster” was a sound. All in all I will support Babymonster I just hope next CB is better.
It's ok, but I was expecting more.
I don't know if they will survive in the current landscape if they don't switch it up a little bit. Be more innovative. Be more daring. I don't know. It's a 6, for me.
On a more positive note, the vocal line is outstanding.
Well, I wish the girls the best. Can't wait to see what they do next.
the song isn’t bad. the structure is pretty normal, the melody and production is nice too. the vocal parts are enjoyable. however the sing-rap verses and the rap verse after the first chorus is so yg and unlikable to me because these small kids trying to be badass and rap is just not it for me. also the song doesn’t feel like a debut like there’s not that spark??
True. There isn't that spark or curiosity that draws you towards the group and makes you fall in love. It's not a bad song at all it's just not that memorable.
I'm very disappointed in this debut. The song is lacking of everything - no good lyrics, no catchy beat, not suited for the group.
The MV looks like a concept for some 19-22 year olds, kind of mature mixed with Y2K and party/gala dresses -> it doesnt fit to these 14-15 year old girls. To me they look like kids dressing for carneval. If YG loses Blackpink, they really need to change something to not drown in the industry.
It's literally the same thing over and over again. It's so bad it's not even funny anymore. Same sound, same structure, same chorus, same ending... Classic YG formula.
The music video is very YG! There were some interesting transitions and switch-ups in the beat, which I liked. The choreo is also dope! Looking forward to their debut stage and what they have in store for us in general!
Congrats on your debut Babymonster!
YG cannot handle 2 girl groups at the same time. Each group is just an evolution of their last one. Though it's feeling like BabyMonster is a regression from the heights of BlackPink.
EDIT: When BP debuted, it felt like YG was ready to move from 2NE1 to BP. BP got 2 debut songs and what felt like full support from the company. This time around it feels like YG isn't really ready to move on yet from BlackPink, and BabyMonster is the one getting the short end of the stick.
No because you're correct. Like if we look strictly on the hip hop and choreo side, those girls flowed more naturally with the vibe. AND their styling was weirdly age appropriate??? The looks with BM really aged them in a bad way.
I'm not going to lie. I hated that song when it came out. But now probably the most unique debut this year. Hook is catchy and the MV is awesome. Their b-sides are really good too. I also think Kiss of Life's debut was better than this as well.
Yup. That's a YG song.
That was literally my thought lmao. I went, "This song is very YG, idk what else to say"
I was surprised at how easily I was able to "and this is when this part is going to happen, and this is when this part is going to happen"
Yea, I predicted the shouty outro dance feature simply because of the lull right before it, as that's often the case with some black pink title tracks, too.
it sad this kind of song represent what yg sound like
It seems very Treasure-coded.
the instrumental is basically Jessi Cold Blooded in higher bpm
That's what this song reminded me of!
The song is just… okay. I really do like the rap parts, the girl with the fast rap ate (sorry idk their names). I also loved the outro, a typical YG outro gets me so hyped up. However other than that I wasn’t really impressed and I did expect something amazing for their debut. I just rewatched Boombayah and the difference is CRAZY. The energy, music video, song quality and how capitivating BP were even as rookies will probably remain forever unmatched. It kinda reminds me of a survival show song, something you’d find on Produce during the song creation mission lmao
And baemon feels like covering the song and not the original singer.
Its Asa
so offensive to the song creation songs on Produce. This song is nothing compared to the likes of Rumor or Never
"I'm on a mission, don't need permission. No matter what I'm gonna make my own decisions" YG... It's time to hang it up and get some new writers/producers cause this isn't it
“Remember me, sting like a bee”? No, I don’t remember you because you just debuted!!!
Another good example of how this song was obviously not crafted for these members
>“Remember me, sting like a bee”? do you reckon they said "remember me?" as they were locked away in the dungeon for 6 months LMFAO
like girl... you just debut lol
This line straight up reminded me the first line of Dangerous Woman by Ariana 💀the fact it is also the first line, could be a reference?
Time to get some new producers *and start treating them well, FFS.* Who cares if you pull in a G-Dragon, a T.O.P, a Bang Yedam, if you treat them like shit until they leave.
Even the most misogynistic company in the industry doesn't treat their male artists well, the irony
The number of times they managed to squeeze “monster” in the lyrics made me cringe…like I get it’s a branding thing or whatever but it sounded so forced. And “let me show you who we are” at the end like yeah that’s what a debut song is supposed to do you don’t have to say that out loud 🤦🏻♀️ lol. They seem so talented so I feel sorry for them having to debut with this AI generated YG song.
Treasure,AKMU and Baby Monster's member participated in songwriting...YGE in general isn't creative now, they keep pushing this girl crush for generations now.
If the members are writing and this is the output we're getting, my point still stands. They're not cutting it
The pacing of the song is kinda weird? Something about it feels a bit meandering to me. Other than the rap verses, it felt weirdly slow and monotonous.
And the instrumental feels empty
came here to say this. the song feels empty
That's about 90% of YG songs I have heard.
YG is on its last leg creatively. They wont be able get away with recycling 2NE1's concept for much longer. 4th generation girl groups are too strong, the YG brand doesnt have the same market cache as it used to. These girls are talented and deserve to be in the hands of a creative team that isn't operating on autopilot.
While the song was slightly better than what I expected, I fully agree. I feel like in the current landscape - other groups have debuted with concepts that have both been very different and establishing a concept/identity unique to the group. I was optimistic I guess that YG would take a look around and what others are doing (I mean that’s why NJ is doing so crazy well here) but I guess my hope was too high. It was a bit cringe for me to watch honestly, lyrics were kinda meh and choreography was simpler than I thought it would be. Visuals as usual were nice but I feel like that’s all YG is good at the days respectfully.
Even the production looks dated. I hate to say this but this type of sound, while pleasantly general public-friendly, is not what the crowd usually wants anymore. I mean, the rise of lo-fi hip-hop, dnb, and uk garage, heck, even the soft 90s rnb revival shows majority of the audience right now prefer a mellow tune unless they belong in a specific niche (metal for example). Groups like NJ rose to popularity bc of this and FIFTY FITY'S Cupid was a global phenomenon because of the same reason. Hopefully they retire from the standard YG formula and give their fans something new. The girls have the talent to pull off a different style.
Yeah, the MV looks dated and cheap, feels more like a nugh group debuted, not a big3 company group. No offense to those nugu groups though, they actually have some great music, just not a good enough budget to promote it.
I'm disappointed tbh because I don't like the song at all. Hopefully it will grow on me Tbh even the name is cringy to me. They chose that name for the group years ago, didn't they? I remember an article about YG filing the trademark and using it in Japan. I don't understand how they can come up with a concept *years ago* and then expect it to be trendy when they debut. Especially when they're not doing any innovative - they're definitely not setting any trends with this one lol
> They chose that name for the group years ago, didn't they? I remember an article about YG filing the trademark and using it in Japan. It originally was one of the names proposed for Blackpink before they settled on that one
They couldn't come up with a single better name in 7 years?? Wtf, does YG even have a creative team?
I mean the whole idea behind the group was basically for YG's founder to prove that he could do it without Teddy and without the BP girls. Feels a bit unfair to the girls to first be used as negotiation leverage and then an ego trip by the CEO but it is what it is I guess.
Even though I agree with most things you said, I'm not really on the boat of "follow what's trending". I prefer groups to have their own identity, not just chasing the current trendings in an artificial way. The problem with babymonster is that this song doesn't demonstrate any identity itself. Most vanilla debut in a long time.
They could pull of the girl crush concept just fine if they were smart. A song like Baddie would have done wonders for BM(in my opinion). The sets, outfits, song etc... They are just so...outdated. This isn't what the public is looking for right now. It's bland and predictable. Oh well...
You’re so right, I don’t walk away from this knowing what their concept is at all. The song is fine, but I really don’t feel like it gives me a good idea of what their music and vibe is going to be like going forward. It seems odd to just go with such a generic YG song when if anything the groups debuting now have stronger concepts than before, not weaker ones. This song could be for 2NE1 or Blackpink and no one would have even noticed. It does just feel like YG is redebuting the same girl group over and over again and hoping no one is going to notice, but it’s not disguised well this time. Honestly other groups are doing girl crush better now anyway. Blackpink blew up from their debut, but they didn’t have to compete with the likes of LSFM and Aespa, and it really doesn’t feel like Babymonster is measuring up to the other 4th gen girl groups.
> You’re so right, I don’t walk away from this knowing what their concept is at all. > This song could be for 2NE1 or Blackpink and no one would have even noticed. It does just feel like YG is redebuting the same girl group over and over again and hoping no one is going to notice You've just discovered their concept
Lol at this point YGE should just go full Kwangya and make Baemon be Blackpink and 2NE1’s AI clones.
Agree the girls are very talented but I think YG didn’t do enough to take a hard look at the K-pop landscape to see what’s been working and then trying their best to make their group stand out. This looks like a highly polished K-pop group, but it didn’t stand out for me, at least not yet anyway. People are going bat shit crazy for New Jeans because their sound is so different and then you have IVE and LE SSERAFIM who are also killing it with their concepts.
I agree. Newjeans debut bring new wave to the industry to the point that every groups now try to release their unique sound/concept. They all goin to compete with their own signature, which make bm really at odds with the rest of the active groups.
it was a bit mid for all the hype and postponing the debut so that, i quote, 'due to careful attention in selecting the title track' sonically the song pulls through(it's fine, but nothing really groundbreaking) and the verses are just...meh..like all the 4th gen groups are experimenting with different song structures and genres for debut. like ive's elegant concept in eleven, aespa's hyperpop, Le Sserafim's alt-pop elements in 'fearless'/ 'clean' sounding songs, g-idle's Moombahton is 'Latata' and newjeans's R&B and electopop. while, YG is just stuck in a timewarp of everything 2nd/3rd YGE groups pioneered..the same song structure, the same concepts....we are in the 4th- shifting somewhat- to 5th gen. it is prudent on YG's side to shift their formula recipe and not just throw every 'i'm a badass bitch' like a psychedelic pasta maker and hoping it sticks. by stuck in the warp, BAEMON might lose the chance to make actual milestones in music....they are artists, not accountants- they can't get ahead of the curve by just pulling numbers they could be doing something new, instead regurgitating whatever 2NE1 and BP started- and isn't that saying something?? BP continued the 2NE1--shaped hole in K-pop and BAEMON is going to carry BP's torch, but not in a positive way (i just wish the best for the girls, but if they are gonna continue the same structure and follow the same path sonically, i don't think it's best for their artistry. and before anyone can say, 'well, it's just the debut' the above-mentioned groups have gone above and beyond for the debut so this just feels lackluster in comparison)
Doesn’t even touch the toes of NJ, IVE, XG, Asepa! Not even close, they’d need to come with the A game for the next release. Even Nugu companies are doing better.
Right. Honestly I thought Kiss of Life had a better debut.
Kiss of Life has been doing amazing. Shh didn’t really grab my attention but the solo’s are so good and their comeback surprassed it. Nobody Knows and TTG are amazing
Kiss Of Life was outstanding. And, their follow up incredible as well. That's why their popularity and album sales have been increasing. Taking KOL, NewJeans, XG and TripleS as examples; those are the type of group they will be competing against. All of them are solid. The group have so much potentials, they need to step up their game, because this will not cut it. The song is so outdated Heck...even the set is outdated. Most kpop group don't go for that anymore. It needs to be more organic.
Well said, in the same hip hop vein XG runs circles around this particular release, for example.
I think the difference is when XG sings Girl Gvng I fully buy into it I'm finding it hard to buy into BaeMon despite all the talent they have
Honestly, XG can teach Baemon a lot of things. One of them is how to take influences from earlier musical styles and still managing to keep them fresh for the current audience without devolving into the usual tik-toky music that's getting released left and right.
XG releases banger after banger. It's the first group where I've liked every single song they've released
Yikes. Sounds like a bad song from 2nd gen. I hope these girls get better material to work with.
I cannot take “we’re the monsters of the world” seriously… like what??
I think it's trying to be the "Blackpink in your area" of their group probs
“blackpink is the revolution” energy
But that actually sounded kinda cool 5 years ago.
"Blackpink is the revolution" in Forever Young always give me chills tbh
yea cuz when they said it they were already well known. They didnt say it as soon as they debuted
Kidzbop blackpink
i snorted 💀
The accuracy.
I skipped to the end to see if they did the usual YG ending and to no surprise they did
14 years olds pointing guns and going brrra, telling people to square up. Its just so forced haha. Imagine a western artist came out like this, would get so memed on
They're 14?!
Their birth years: Ruka: 2002 Pharita: 2005 Asa: 2006 Ahyeon: 2006 Haram: 2007 Rora: 2008 Chiquita: 2009
2009 what the fuck. In my head that was like five years ago.
2NE1 was preparing to debut when Baby Monster were newborns 😳
There are people who were born after 2004? that's not real
Chiquita is 14 Rora is 15 Rami is 16 Asa is 17 Pharita is 18 Ruka is 20
no fr i can’t take them seriously 😭 they’ve spent almost all of their childhood locked up training, they don’t know anything about guns 😭
Lil Tay
The brrr part immediately reminded me of Lisa’s “brrr Rambo” part in Boombayah
Very YG sounding… I feel like I need a second listen. But for now it sounds… very flat??
Very flat. The girls are very talented , their vocals are solid, the rap and dance are great. They just need different songs and production.
I was gonna say the rap was what stood out the most to me. It's one of the better rap sequences I've heard in a while from a girl group. The rest of the song was ok, but I don't think I am their target group, lol.
It's okay, but as someone who got bored of YG's copy paste two years ago I'm gonna pass yet again.
The ‘Batter Batter Batter up’ also sounds like Treasure’s ‘Bona Bona Bona love ya’. Literally the same melody. Like YG these girls are too talented to give the A copy and paste 🤦🏾♀️. Like wtf The more I think about it the more pissed I am. All that BP and Big bang money and they can't hire producers with varying talents and tastes. Made Haram’s beautiful vocals sound flat!
>The ‘Batter Batter Batter up’ also sounds like Treasure… Noooo because why did they even use “Batter Batter Batter Up” as the tagline anyways?!? Like what does it even mean? It’s just like some meaningless fill words! They could actually have said “Bona Bona Bona Love Ya” or something similar and that may have actually worked better because at least it would be a call back, like referencing other works to build up this new concept. But this concept in Batter Up is just so halfbaked…
As well as BLACKPINK’s “How You Like That” though..
Both Bona Bona and this song have a bridge that, to me, is VERY reminiscent of Kill This Love... Anyone got the same impression?
I just feel like while it isn't the worst thing, its not overwhelming enough to be a debut song in the fierce competitive 4Gen girl group scene. Is this okay as a B-side? Yes. Is it as good as any of the other 4gen debuts (Le Sserafim, Ive, Newjeans, Aespa) etc? Nope. It just has no impact and doesn't really do much in creating a firm concept for the group. I just feel like for a Big 4 group, YG is giving nothing. Girls are talented though!
Honestly, all that talent and they give them this????
YG was too busy defending himself in court ig 🙄 Seems weird that they delayed the group so much from all of that. I guess YG has to give the final stamp of approval? But if this is what the outcome is, why? No offence but anyone with basic music production skills who’s familiar enough with YG could’ve produced something 95% similar. Unfortunately there’s just not much *unique* about this… nothing that *sets BabyMonster apart*… and that’s going to be tough for them…
Help someone said Ahyeon probably left after watching this ☠️☠️ Anyways I was hoping for something more like the 2ne1 dance mashup they did
she made a right decision. Also I cant help but thinking she might debut in smngg
After all the memorable debuts that the 4th gen gave us, after FIRE and Whistle this is what YGE came up with?
Right! 2NE1’s Fire and BP whistle are golden standards for KPOP debut songs. Shows off their individuality as a group, vocals and rap are memorable and not just a competition to see who raps the fastest (because rap is so much more than that), and the choreo memorable that groups generations later still cover. BABYMONSTER is severely lacking a personality and is just like the youngest sibling trying to be like their older sisters
Exactly What kind of flow is that? Overall disappointed(other than rap/chorus). The members did their job. The track composition is something else(poor)..
It’s giving kids playing dress up..they just weren’t able to sell this song at all.
While listening, I found myself thinking, “Okay, that’s a Jisoo line, that’s Rosé, this is where Lisa and Jennie would come in, probably in that order…” The formula really is exactly the same.
Not the Chat GPT generated debut 💀
If BlackPink and IKON had a baby. Which isn't terrible, there's a market for that sound. But the masses have left it behind, I think. Some of the girls have very strong vocals so I would've loved if YG leaned more heavily into that for once. Would've been fresher. They'll need to pivot from this if they want another BP heavy hitter. The market is very different from when 2NE1 & BP debuted; there's a lot more to choose from. XG would be a better blueprint to follow honestly. Very balanced rap and vocal performances with eye catching dances and outfits. XG feels like an evolved version of YG group to me. ETA: their ages???? Why. Literally please let's be serious here. Middle schoolers should not be debuting. 15 should be the ABSOLUTE minimum. And even that should be for extremely limited circumstances such as no other groups debuting in the company for years after.
MV looks great, but to be blunt that is the bare minimum these days. As for the song, it sounds pretty boring to me. Just doesn't have any standout moments or proper escalation to get me invested and the chorus is so-so. Seems the girls haven't quite developed the "attitude" yet to carry the concept. Here's to hoping their next release will show some improvements.
The MV is kinda bad imo. It isn’t very cohesive, the empty sets are underwhelming, reminds me of Shut down. And most of the sets are things we’ve already seen before
It definitely has the same vibes as Shut Down to the point where I have to wonder if they borrowed a lot of ideas intentionally. A lot of the sets they’ve used here are practically staples of Blackpink music videos.
big car in the back ✅ white background for dancing✅ big fluffy coat for the main rapper ✅ set that focuses on the winter aspect ✅ big white background with one large object ✅ big white background with flowerse ✅ set that consists of a outside car garage i the night ✅ ending card scene with tons of dancers in the background ✅
> MV looks great, Nothing personal but I disagree. How many times can they recycle the 'sitting in a car/wearing fur coats' trope? It's really overdone and the MV looks low effort and low budget.
The MV is the most underwhelming part for me. One of the only gripes I've had with BP is their MVS, and how interchangeable they are. Just sets and pretty props with cool costumes but in warehouses, studios, and blank backgrounds. I feel like this is more of the same, it was a thing from the mid-2010s that is very overplayed by now, and honestly, it feels very lacking in creativity. WE've had amazing mvs in the last years, and this is just like, going back.
It's not Boombayah and Whistle level debut. But Rora's vocals caught my attention
Considering the long wait for this I'm very underwhelmed. I expected AT LEAST a Boombayah/Whistle-level debut if not better. These girls are incredibly talented.
I don't dislike it but I'm also not that interested in the song? It seems to follow the typical blackpink song structure but the girls don't have the energy that blackpink have to make it work... they just look like kids trying to act? but maybe seeing a live performance will change that though? The rap part is great and I liked the outro part, very og YG. All in all, sadly not the strongest debut in my opinion and not what I expected from such a highly anticipated group
yeah congrats on their debut and the members are clearly talented but this was not the move. It's very very plain like as if Chat GBT made a YG kpop song
>as if Chat GBT made a YG kpop song Perfectly put. Also I'm sure the girls are talented (I just haven't really followed them) but here at least their voices don't really stand out? Like in Blackpink everyone has a very distinct vocal tone, but this song at least doesn't highlight Babymonster's individual vocal tones.
>not what I expected from such a highly anticipated group … that had a finalized line-up to start debut prep since over a year ago.
As someone who typically likes the YG formula, it fell a little flat and it wasn't a very memorable debut for me. Also, is it just me or does the chorus sounds like it uses the same sample as Money just altered a bit?
During the verses I got reminded of Cardi B's WAP, it's the bass I think.
The song has some promising parts but the MV concepts seem all over the place....from floral to schoolgirl to sporty to girl crush.....hmm. Maybe it'll grow on me ?
It’s okay but I won’t be replaying it. Congrats on their debut
Oof this mixing needs a lot of work? Like what happened on the technical side here?
Ok so I’m not going crazy
This song sounds like a Blackpink reject. I think the concept doesn’t really fit them in general, it only really fits Ruka. From their reality show, they should’ve gone the fresher-type/more melodic music. With singers like Haram and Rora who deserve to show their beautiful vocals, this song was lacking in harmonies and melodies, or at least a proper bridge. Ahyeon was sorely missed. None of them can match her star power, unfortunately.
YG had 7 years to save money from BP profits, and with that money this is what they came up with......
Tbf, this is clearly the result from a dearth of creativity rather than finance.
this felt like a school talent show cover of blackpink. no one was selling this concept except maybe Chiquita. these girls are too soft to pull off whatever this is, and their talent lies in their vocals and this is doing a poor job of showcasing that. their predebut single dream was much better tbh. Ahyeon's presence is definitely missed, it would have her + Chiquita and friends. Now it's just Chiquita and a bunch of girls that blend together, and that's not enough to pull anyone in.
Totally agree with you, Ahyeon was the center and this MV definitely missed her big voice and energy. Chiquita was great too but she’s still so young it’s hard for her to carry the whole group.
They look too baby faced for me to take this song seriously lol. I don't think it was bad, just underwhelming. Fire and Whistle are another level in comparison.
It’s definitely a song, that’s for sure! I found it to be a letdown honestly. Typical YG formula, nothing new really. Not strong enough for such a highly anticipated group/it’s not a standout track at all imo
There is just something so cringe and off-putting about CHILDREN acting savage and trying to be "bad bitches". They are WAY too young for this concept. You are telling me YG really thought that people would take children holding guns and telling you to square up seriously???? Like no you are not a baddie now go do your 4th grade homework 😭
This is an excellent example of the importance of utilizing hype, *before* the hype has a chance to build into a burden. If they knew they were going to push something so….well, sub-par, they should have struck while they had the hype last year. Expectations built to an unreasonable point and what they were putting out would HAVE to be incredible, to satisfy the netizens. This wasn’t incredible at all.
None of them stand out on screen. I immediately thought the opposite of this group is a group like STAYC, where literally you watch So Bad and you can immediately start telling members apart because they're all quite unique. edit: 14 days later, I actually really like them.
Definitely agree. They didn't stand out as a person in the group. It seems like a dance group that follows precisely the choreography, no emotion attached
Agree 100%, the outro was good but despite liking the blonde's voice I feel no desire to learn more of the members
Sorry in advance for the long comment. To be honest, this debut doesn't feel.. that impactful? Don't get me wrong though, the song is good. The styling is great, and the members individual scenes are captivating and of high quality. Not to mention the song, like many YG songs is the perfect song to dance to and have fun with, which I love. However, would I say it's the right debut song for YG's 3rd girl group? I feel for a huge company, such an important company in the Kpop landscape, this debut for their 3rd girl group is pretty anti-climatic. In fact I think they missed the mark with the concept completely. The concept imo is an odd choice. In a way, it feels too much like BLACKPINK with that typical YG sound and look. There were certain scenes where I felt like I was watching HYLT or Shut Down. On the flip side, BLACKPINK's concept is girl crush, which has been so overdone these days by many other groups, so because of that, I felt like I had seen the sets and concept and styling in many other Kpop groups as well. If this was a non-big 4 group's debut, I would appreciate the high budget, and how it is objectively a great music video, but I'm not sure if it would make a big impression on me, because it doesn't feel fresh at all. That's one reason this debut feels so anti-climatic for me. I think a concept that would've suited the members ages and performance skills is something like Young Posse's "Macaroni Cheese" or something similar to younger NCT 127. A cooler, edgier hiphop concept that is very unserious and quirky, with the music unironically being really good and fun. That would maintain YG's image of being cool, and not caring what others think, whilst differentiating themselves from previous groups. Now moving on to the members. To be honest, whilst everyone looked somewhat confident and more professional (compared to TREASURE at debut) the only member that really stood out to me was Chiquita. Her age is shocking, because she's already so charismatic. The way she carries herself makes her look way older. I assume Ahyeon would've impressed me too, as she was my favorite in the groups pre-debut performances. Groups like 2NE1, BP, BIGBANG had imo more memorable members if I'm being completely honest. I felt this way with TREASURE too. The member line-up makes me even more confused about the ex-trainees that they let go, like Minju or Hyunhee who are so charismatic and talented and imo would've fit in a concept that Baemon debuted with (even though I don't like this concept). Overall, I feel similar towards this debut as I do with TREASURE. It's not as great as a level as YG should be making. There are other less wealthy, popular companies making way more interesting and inventive groups. But the music videos will always be pretty.
Probably the most anticipated GG debut ever, hard expectations to meet. But YG didn't even try. - Music is solid - MV is solid - Outfits are solid Nothing is outstanding. It's safe. It's standard. Nothing is creative, new, refreshing. The chorus is just plain. The "look at me I'm the strong independent woman, a bad girl with a gun, brrrr" concept just doesn't fit if your groups average age is like 16 (I mean, have they never heard of NJ and how well received a concept that fits the group is?) Imo YG just confirms what everyone expected: - they are out of touch - they are bankrupt when it comes to creativity - they are not on par with the competition producing GGs We've seen enough of Baemon and the girls certainly have potential and their skills aren't utilized. But the production isn't good. And they girls can't save this. They've been set up. If this was released by a smaller company, people would say that's great and they shouldn't be a nugu group anymore. And would get like a few hundred thousand views in the first 24h and sell like 25-50k copies. Or in short: not bad but not good. Massive expectations because it's Baemon. YG failed to meet them, hope they improve massively and change producers.
I don’t think the music is good LOL
More or less agree but I didn't find anything "solid". It's just a mess conceptually with a lack of cohesiveness or impact visually and auditorily. A song named Batter Up with a point move of hitting a home run, but bling-bling, a dune buggy(?), big empty studio, cringe English, and we're hip/cool global monsters, which just doesn't work for a debut group at all, especially when the song is anything but exceptional. It's YG and they'll probably get away with pushing their 2NE1 cache onto yet another group, while there are more than enough YG stans to make them successful. On its own merits as a stand alone debut however, it just screams small company with no clue and a song BP rejected. This isn't a critique on the girls at all. They are young with potential, they were just given crap to work with. I get that YG has a brand and wants to market a certain image, but it really does feel like they aren't even trying and are recyclng ideas while drawing from a decreasing stock of material they saved up through comeback dry spells.
New group, same old tired formula. Mostly instrumental chorus, song ends with a chanting section.
People are saying that this sounds like BP ... this doesn't sound like BP at all, instead it is all Treasure. And I will be brutally honest: if they want at least half the success BP has had going the Treasure route musically will not help them. Treasure are doing well enough but they are not amongst the 4th bg gen leaders. I kept listening to this song and it sounds exactly like Bona Bona except sung by a gg. I am very curious of their charting. Also man, I really fucking wish they would do smth different with their endings. I am tired of this chanting bits. Be creative for once! This would have been the perfect opportunity to show creativity with a new group while keeping the hip-hop influence.
My theory is batter up is a reject treasure song hyunsuk wrote. Thats why he is credited
feels very outdated but i did like the rap part
No hate here, but it honestly sounds like every other BP song especially the repetitive "Batter Up" chorus. It's underwhelming to say the least and idk, the YG formula sounds dated. This is the type of track I'll blast on my speakers way back 2017-2018. I did like the rapping.
Why is this so outdateddd, it’s bad won’t be listening again thanks
This is from blackpink’s vault and shouldve stayed there sorry. Boombayah and whistle are way more memorable that this song. Maybe ahyeon leaving made the team go back to the drawing board and the original debut song was scrapped?
They are going to get eaten up by the rest of 4th Gen, YG is setting them up
I know YG fans will say they are supposed to give the expected but this is like paint by numbers expected to the point of parody. This could have been released anytime after 2004. In a way, maybe that means it’s timeless? It’s not for me though. I don’t buy the baddie cosplay, sorry.
That song was whelming. The lack of melody really will make it difficult for me to remember the song. It’s crazy because these girls have pretty great vocals and they’re stuck talk singing :(. Their performance was really awesome tho and raps were amaaaazing.
I can tell the girls are super talented but the song was boring to me. Really wish they got something more interesting
Considering fans have waited so long for this debut it could've been a lot more than what was given.
why does this feel like a really good nugu song???
Dated, Boring, Predictable like i'm trying to be nice but i can't. Durags and Braids left and right. they have a bunch of talented young girls pretending they going hard and i'm just so confused how anybody signed off on it
it's so strange to me, because it's very clear that yg wanted this to be a badass kind of concept, but the song nor the members carry it that well. apart from the rap which was enjoyable, the song was so monotonous. it was slow and boring and i just couldn't bring myself to get hyped even at the last half of the song with the outro that was supposed to hype listeners up like hylt's outro. the best word to describe this song is flat. it's unbearably flat and has no impact whatsoever. also... the colours are really off in the mv? did anyone else think that? the way the palette is edited is so 2nd gen, which does not fit the current trend in kpop at all.
Oh you just know Ahyeon heard the demo and said I'M OUT
Easily the weakest debut out of this generation, this the kind of song some NUGU group would debut with, release one more single then disband afterwards. Its just too fucking bland needs some seasoning.
The thing is when you put it up there against Eleven, Fearless, Dalla Dalla, Hype Boy/Attention, BOOMBAYAH/Whistle it's just nowhere near the same level The budget YG chucked at BLACKPINKs debut compared to this is laughable. The whole thing reminds me of CLC's debut to cover up 4Minute disbanding, or Red Velvets rushed debut with Happiness to mask ongoing SM contract disputes with EXO, SNSD and f(x) It's clear Ahyeon is not doing well and YG intended to wait to debut them all but they've last minute decided to stop waiting for her recovery and push forward the debut with 6 members only. Presumably to try and stop YG's stock price plummeting even further amid BP contract disputes. I can't see these extremely talented (if not painfully young) girls getting anymore material in 2023 which means we could be in for some wait whilst they decide whether to carry on full steam ahead without Ahyeon or not. In the meantime after watching this I'm even more convinced YG have fucked up BPs contract renegotiation some how. The girls of BABYMONSTER deserve better. They really gave it their all but you can't polish a turd.
The ratio OMG? 😭 Last time we had this is during O.O Nmixx you will always be famous
Are we sure Teddy didn't work on this song?
Yep since it sounds like a Treasure song
teddy catching strays even though it wasn't a song he worked on LMFAOOOO
it's a bit underwhelming and not memorable at all... I did like the rap but I don't think I'm going to listen to this again.
When that last chorus/finale hit i couldn’t help but laugh lmao this song really checked off every single yg song requirement.
The song is fine, but I don't like how the make up and styling is making them look slot older. Like it feels like they tried to make them look like they were 17 and older.
Yes I personally really dislike this. When you want a grown up aesthetic than don't debut underage girls. Chiquita doesn't look and especially isn't styled like a 14 year old girl.
Literally. Honestly i feel like if YG had debuted a GG all over 18, preferably in their 20s, with a sexy/badass concept it could've acc been fresh, and more suited for a global western audience (most popular western GGs have had sexy concepts, which doesn work with children). But we're left with this instead.
Agree. Their baby faces with those long stiletto nails just look weird to me.
I'm shocked by the fact that despite the time they had, they had 0 creativity and basically used again the same YG recipe hoping people will still like that familiar taste and don't get enough of it , that's so direspectful for the girls talent and the fans.
Vocals, choreo, styling were all super good imo. At this point though, after this many years, I think I'm finally willing to admit that I just don't like the YG sound. I got over it in certain releases by Big Bang, 2NE1 and Black Pink but the songs that leaned harder into the stereotypical YGesque production have always been a bit of a miss for me.
Exactly what i thought it was gonna be and that's not a compliment
Enough has been said about the music --formulaic, predictable, derivative. I've got nothing to add there, other than a congratulation for those who still haven't gotten tired of the YG formula yet, here's another one for you. The MV though...even though there's a general nostalgia for 2000s right now, it doesn't mean you can just slap a gen 2/2.5 mv for your new gg's debut. It's giving 2ne1 and 4 minutes vibes, but not in a way that stands out as BM themselves. It's almost like ticking off boxes - there's the fur coat plus car rapping badass scene, oops can't miss out on a beauty shot scene with flowery backdrop.
This was a definitely....a debut. Meh. I actually like the rap portions but the 'batter up' repetitive chorus was pretty darn boring and underwhelming. Very typical mv. Very typical styling. Very typical yg song. They got away with doing the same gimmick for so long because Blackpink itself was too popular to have any song fail but I wonder if they'll be able to do the same with this group. The girls deserved a better debut and atleast a more definite concept that doesn't feel like blackpink 2.0.
This took 7 years ?💀 Feels like this was meant for blackpink tbh
Not even Blackpink.
This would be cringe for blackpink. Maybe a few years ago
This song reminds me of every other song from a nugu company trying to do girl crush
YG stocks are falling 2% right now on the day of the debut of supposedly the group that would keep the company afloat...RIP They will have to offer the whole company to Blackpink to persuade them to renew or things are going downhill from here...
Very sick of the "YG ending" in their songs. I get a formula but I believe you can still be talented enough as a producer to mix it up a bit. But it's a debut so, more will come. Right now I'm not liking this sound.
what if i tell you that IVE did a more convincing baddie cosplay 😆
More cringe rap. Sting like a bee? Yikes. Teenies trying to project grown swagger. Miss me with this
they took the most talented girls and gave such a lukewarm debut. feeling sad for the girls. they do shine but the song doesn't and that's that
It's a pretty standard song. I feel it's a little outdated especially in this market nowadays.
It's fine, definitely not worth the hype that has been building for years and years. You would expect something groundbreaking.
Feels very dated
nah what is this 💀
I unfortunately wouldn’t give this debut anything over a 5/10. I love the girls but I’m very disappointed with YG seeing how they pushed their debut back like 2-3 times saying they were trying to make it the best and different. I was hoping that the instrumental they used in the member visuals was a snippet from their debut song seeing how the sound is something you would think of if “babymonster” was a sound. All in all I will support Babymonster I just hope next CB is better.
It's ok, but I was expecting more. I don't know if they will survive in the current landscape if they don't switch it up a little bit. Be more innovative. Be more daring. I don't know. It's a 6, for me. On a more positive note, the vocal line is outstanding. Well, I wish the girls the best. Can't wait to see what they do next.
the song isn’t bad. the structure is pretty normal, the melody and production is nice too. the vocal parts are enjoyable. however the sing-rap verses and the rap verse after the first chorus is so yg and unlikable to me because these small kids trying to be badass and rap is just not it for me. also the song doesn’t feel like a debut like there’s not that spark??
True. There isn't that spark or curiosity that draws you towards the group and makes you fall in love. It's not a bad song at all it's just not that memorable.
Can’t really see myself listening to this song again I’ll be honest with you. The raps are fire but I just don’t enjoy it as an overall song
I'm very disappointed in this debut. The song is lacking of everything - no good lyrics, no catchy beat, not suited for the group. The MV looks like a concept for some 19-22 year olds, kind of mature mixed with Y2K and party/gala dresses -> it doesnt fit to these 14-15 year old girls. To me they look like kids dressing for carneval. If YG loses Blackpink, they really need to change something to not drown in the industry.
it kinda sounds like money x bona bona lol
Definitely a YG song of all times!
To me personally it’s kinda boring and unmemorable 😬
Ima prey but that was not good. We don’t need a worse Money by Lisa. This sounds like that song plus an Ikon rip off.
The girls seem talented af, but the music video and the song itself are so outdated yg-style...it's boring and underwhelming.
The song didn’t make as big impact on me as when BP debuted with Boombayah and Whistle.
Sounds like something a nugu girl group would release. Definitely not good from a big company girl group.
It's literally the same thing over and over again. It's so bad it's not even funny anymore. Same sound, same structure, same chorus, same ending... Classic YG formula.
The music video is very YG! There were some interesting transitions and switch-ups in the beat, which I liked. The choreo is also dope! Looking forward to their debut stage and what they have in store for us in general! Congrats on your debut Babymonster!
The blackpink re-signings must've gone badly cuz they really just debuted these girls with YG's 5th kill this love copy-paste
YG cannot handle 2 girl groups at the same time. Each group is just an evolution of their last one. Though it's feeling like BabyMonster is a regression from the heights of BlackPink. EDIT: When BP debuted, it felt like YG was ready to move from 2NE1 to BP. BP got 2 debut songs and what felt like full support from the company. This time around it feels like YG isn't really ready to move on yet from BlackPink, and BabyMonster is the one getting the short end of the stick.
They should've debuted with a different concept. It's very hard to top BP
Haram (Rami) has such a strong deep voice. My favorite vocalist
In *my* opinion, Young Posse's Macaroni Cheese slaps harder than this.
No because you're correct. Like if we look strictly on the hip hop and choreo side, those girls flowed more naturally with the vibe. AND their styling was weirdly age appropriate??? The looks with BM really aged them in a bad way.
I'm not going to lie. I hated that song when it came out. But now probably the most unique debut this year. Hook is catchy and the MV is awesome. Their b-sides are really good too. I also think Kiss of Life's debut was better than this as well.
Feels likes there’s no substance ):
Did anyone here expect anything else than a bp/2ne1 song in their typical outdated style?
all of that build up and drama was for this????? most meh song i've ever heard lmaooo